Stopped at a gas station yesterday I would normally not stop at. Not quite sure why.Guy earlier had apparently slowed his truck down, kicked her out in the MIDDLE of a four land road, and then drove off.I believe if you find it you were chosen.. lucky me.Yes, of course I brought her home.She's bout 3 months old.
She came in with dogs,cats and a toddler(after we left the vet of course) and made her lil self right at home with my other dog's "bo bo's(toys)" and slept on the sofa.She's beautifully tempered..loves EVERYONE.We got x-rays yesterday, shots,blood tests,wormed and some Frontline.Should have seen her lil self prancing around clean and shiny.Made it ALL worth it.
I sit here now in tears I scared her so badly. All I did was start sweeping the floor.When she came in and saw the broom she FREAKED. She screamed bloody murder,she fell down and she shook and peed all over herself. She's still in the corner.The vet said she'll outgrow it. He's not holding the broom! What do I do?
2007-11-06 05:54:39 · 19 answers · asked by Tammy 5 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Okay....now she's out of the corner...and she's actively eating the broom. I think I'm going to let her have it. Maybe if she "kills it" she'll feel better. The barking and snarling at it sure beats what happened earlier.
2007-11-06 06:05:27 · update #1
You are all much too kind but thank you so much for your compassion. I don't deserve any credit for anything. I'm just the messenger. God deserves the credit, for leading someone to her that he knew would never leave her stranded there alone to be killed.
2007-11-06 06:32:34 · update #2
Obviously something happened with her previous owner and a broom - perhaps that is what they used to push her out of the car.
Leave the broom sitting out, somewhere out of the way, but where she can see it and will pass by it sometimes. She will soon see it just as a part of the house.
When she is comfortable with it sitting there, place it laying on the floor, someplace where she goes frequently. Again, don't move it, just have it lying there. Allow her time to get accustomed to this.
Then, when she is okay with it laying on the floor, pick it up and sit with it, with her somewhere near by.
Then go to sweep, just one sweep, with her nearby
Gradually, over time, she will accustomed to it and not see it as a threat.
In the meantime, when you do sweep in the house, make sure she is in another room so she doesn't get scared by the motion.
2007-11-06 06:06:19 · answer #1 · answered by rjn529 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Honestly, you need to be patient. I have had a few friends & family members in a similar situation, and I know that she can learn that the broom means something other than what it used to mean, but it won't happen next week. Time with you will teach her that you're not going to hurt her.
I might also recommend leaving the broom out of its closet - perhaps somewhere she has access to, but isn't forced to be in. This will give her the chance to see that it's just a broom, and she might even give it a bite or two to get even.
Show her lots of love and compassion. She'll adapt to the new normal in a few months.
Oh, and btw...Thanks for being such a warm hearted person and a concerned pet owner!!!
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YAY!!! She's conquering her fears! You might want to keep the new broom locked away so she doesn't continually kill each one you bring home!
2007-11-06 14:07:05 · answer #2 · answered by abfabmom1 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Obviously she was beaten with a broom. Whoever did this to her should be put in jail. right now, since she's new to your home, I would keep her away from the broom while you are sweeping. When she's been there maybe a few weeks and is all settled in, try just laying the broom down on the floor and walking away. Don't move it, don't put her near it. Just lay it down. Let her go up to it and sniff it. This is how we helped a dog I fostered for the shelter where I work. Only her fear was men. Just sit the broom in a place where she can reach it, and walk away. Let her see that nobody is going to hurt her with it anymore. And after a while, she should be just fine. Thank you for saving her like you did. She's one lucky dog.
2007-11-06 14:03:24 · answer #3 · answered by caitiejx36 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I rescue abused dog's and the vet is right. It takes a lot of love and time before they trust humans again. Put her in another room for a while when you sweep, she must have been beaten with a broom. This terror is common for dogs i retrain, separate her from the broom for now and as she gets settled in let her she you sweeping but she has distance between the broom and her. Don't be upset you didn't do anything wrong, you now know her biggest fears. And she will respond to your affection, and trust you not to hurt her. I was getting dressed onetime and i picked up my belt and the dog pooped and peed all over. so you have a good idea of her treatment before you, just give her plenty of love, and time does heal most wounds. this is my worst feelings too , someone hurt this dog and now i must take away the fear of humans Thank you for taking this dog in , she will reward you by being a happy dog all the time.
2007-11-06 14:11:26 · answer #4 · answered by redd headd 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I found my dog on the side of the road bloody and what we can tell must have been beaten by a Bald man with a broom or mop.
At first my dog acted the same way at the site of a broom or mop. I have had my dog for over 10 years now and he did get over it.
What we did to help him overcome his fear....
A little at a time take your broom and brush her with it so she knows it is safe. Talk to her "Good Dog" lots of love and praise.
The best thing is that she is a puppy and will adjust quickly to your loving home.
Good for you for all you have done for this puppy already.
2007-11-06 14:48:45 · answer #5 · answered by Dr Safe Pet 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Please visit www.fearfuldogs.com to learn about triggers, thresholds, counter conditioning and desensitization. While the dog may outgrow some fears, it can help if you understand how to make it easier and faster for her.
You need to change the way she feels about her triggers (in this case the broom). To do this you need to keep her subthreshold (only close enough to notice the broom and not be terrified). Then you give the dog really extra special good treats, maybe even something so special that she only gets them when her scary things are around. You need to go slow and don't force her to interact with things that scare her, this can make some fears worse. Your goal is to get her to see the broom and think, hey where are my good treats!?
www.fearfuldogs.com
2007-11-06 14:25:20 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Bless you for giving the poor girl a good home! We had a cat who was also terrified of brooms & I shudder to imagine why. Not sure how convenient this would be for you, but I simply did my sweeping when she was asleep in another room. She wasn't afraid of the vaccuum, washing machine or anything else that frightened our other cats.
I don't have much experience with dogs, but *maybe* she can be gradually desensitized, especially since she's still so young. Our tortie was a tiny kitten when we found her & lived to be 16, but she never totally got over her fear of brooms.
Good luck.
2007-11-06 14:09:45 · answer #7 · answered by Catkin 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Poor girl =[ She probably will out grow it...but in order to not scare her to death maybe you could put her in a separate room when you are sweeping. You could also leave the broom out in the open so that she can sniff it while no one is actually moving it around...leave her some treats by it so that she starts to associate it w/ treats rather than something scary. That guy probably beat her w/ one. Poor girl. I have a dog who's been through hell too...missing 16 teeth from being kicked in the head. She's great w/ my husband and I but she is still petrified of other people. Rescues take a long time to let go of their past. Good luck to you!
2007-11-06 14:01:28 · answer #8 · answered by Jennifer 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
While, yes, maybe the dog will out grow it, the dog needs to learn that the broom will not hurt her. One of our old dogs was not scared of literally anything but the vacuum. Our over 100lb dog would go hide in a corner and shake until we got it over with vacuuming. We figured we had two options to keep her away from the vacuum always-put her outside or in another room until finished vacuuming- or teach her it was not going to kill her. Honestly we started by just leaving it in the middle of the room left off and unplugged for long periods of time so she could explore it as well as have it in her space. Then, later, when she felt more comfortable we stood somewhat near the vacuum and called her to come. Eventually, we could get to her come to the vacuum when it was off and on. You could try something like this I guess. Good luck.
2007-11-06 14:58:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Oh my Gosh, I had the same problem with my big St Bernard Rottie mix! He came from an abusive home also, and I didnt know about the broom fear for awhile... actually, he is afraid of anything with a handle. I took him to the barn with me to do some cleaning and when I picked up the shovel, he ran and would not come near me. I didnt understand for a few minutes, and then I realized what it was. I dropped the shovel and he came to me, still worried that I might pick it up again, he slunk over to me with his belly practically draggin the ground. I have had him for 4 years and he still isnt over it 100%. He doesnt run and yelp anymore, but he will quietly get up and leave the room whenever I am sweeping or mopping. I think that is the best he can do. What I did to help him be less fearful is, I just ignored him. I never made a big fuss because that is just compounding the problem. I would just go about my business, talking to him occasionally, and once he saw that I never used it threateningly, he got used to it. Once in awhile, he will hang around when I am sweeping, and I will actually have to tell him to get up and move, but most of the time, he moves on his own. Dogs remember the bad things that people do to them . They forgive, but they dont forget. Just be patient, I have the feeling that you may find other fears in this little dog before its over. Dont make a fuss, this will reinforce her fears, if you fuss over her when she is in this state, it will convince her that she is right to be so afraid. Also, if you get upset about it, this will also confirm to her that the broom is a bad thing, after all, why would you be upset too? You have to remain calm and relaxed and dont feed the fear. Once she sees you just doing what you need to do (sweeping) and the world doesnt fall apart, she will get better about it. I feel awful for her, just as I do for my dog. He weighs over 100 pounds and to see him so afraid of something like that is just sickening. I want to add, after reading some of the posts here, that removing the broom wont help her overcome it. This broom will be part of the scenery for the rest of her life, so leave it out at all times where she can see and walk by it and see that it wont jump out and bite her. And something else...because you will be bonding with her and she will gain trust in you, it will make it easier to help her. And please, dont hug her and make a fuss when she gets so scared, this makes it worse. Trust me! Good luck with your new puppy!
2007-11-06 14:06:26 · answer #10 · answered by answers4u, not insults 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋